🎉 Hello and Welcome, Friends—Old and New! 🎉 A twist on our Monday favorite – a Holiday Meet a Mom featuring Julie and Christine!
As we dive into the festive season, we thought it was the perfect time for a little reintroduction! With so many new faces joining us here at Greater Lansing Area Moms (GLAMoms), we couldn’t be more excited to share a bit about who we are and what we’re all about.
We’re two lifelong Greater Lansing area natives, passionate about creating this online space just for you—a place to connect, find resources, and celebrate all things family and community. Whether you’re here for parenting tips, local events, or holiday inspiration, we’re thrilled to have you along for our adventure! 🎄✨
A heartfelt thank you to our amazing friends at Boji Group! For the past two years, Boji Group has partnered with us to spotlight incredible local moms, support small businesses, and sponsor fantastic giveaways. Your commitment to uplifting our community means so much, and we can’t wait to continue this partnership into 2025. 💖
Let’s make this holiday season one to remember—full of joy, connection, and a little GLAM… and GLAMoms 🙂🌟
What’s your favorite local holiday tradition or event that your family loves to attend each year?
C – Silver Bells in the City, Zoo Lights at Potter Park, and a childhood tradition that’s become a holiday favorite—when I was a kid, my dad used to call taking a drive with no set destination “going crazy.” We’ve turned that fun, spontaneous spirit into part of our holiday light drives—embracing the adventure and seeing where the night takes us!✨🚗🎄
J – We love the Williamston Light Parade, they do such a great job of bringing the Holiday spirit! A new tradition we love is visiting the Christmas Wonderland of lights at Wamhoff Farms. It’s magical and brings so much joy to our community.
If you could only keep one holiday dish on the menu forever, what would it be and why?
C – Hmmmm, just one. My grandma made this amazing macaroni and cheese and yet has anyone gotten it quite right. We keep trying.
J – My mom’s frozen fruit salad. I have never had this anywhere else and look forward to it every year!
What’s the most memorable gift you’ve ever received or given during the holiday season?
C – This may sound a little Hallmark-card-like – it reminds me of a meme I saw recently—while I can’t recall specific gifts from my childhood, what I do remember are those magical Christmases filled with fun, family, and plenty of food. The best part? Spending the entire day together with loved ones, soaking in the joy of the season.
Since starting my own family, one Christmas stands out as truly special—the first one after our daughter was born. She was just 9 months old, and everything felt complete. That year was all about quiet moments, sitting back, and watching her take it all in. The following year? Total game changer—she was everywhere, keeping us on our toes and making the season even more memorable! 🎄❤️✨
J – I don’t have one particular memory of a gift, but I love giving gifts!
How do you balance the hustle and bustle of the holidays with finding time to relax and enjoy the season?
C – Finding balance is always a challenge for me, and the holiday season is no exception. This year, though, we decided to put up all the decorations much earlier, and it’s made a world of difference! The result? A few more calm evenings and a house that feels festive—without looking like a holiday snow globe exploded for days on end 🙂🎄✨
J – I am the first to admit that I struggle with this A LOT because I am a procrastinator and always think I need more gifts, more food around the table, etc. I am working on this that less is MORE!
A little Holiday This or That
Your tree – real or artificial?
C – team artificial although I would love a real tree again, someday. Fun fact, we had a potted our first Christmas here and the tree is taller than the house!
J –We used to get a real tree every year and I do miss it, but after a mishap with a leaking tree stand that we weren’t aware of and a red tree skirt and white carpet, we went to an artificial tree.
Wrap it or bag it?
C – Wrap those gifts and make them pretty 🙂
J – Combination of both!
Fruitcake? Fruit fan or no, pass
C – not fruitcake per se, but my grandpa made lebkuchen cookies – this German cookie with gingerbread base and some of the fruit and nuts used in fruit cake. DELICIOUS!
J – I don’t think I have ever tried it!
Favorite holiday movie/song
C – Movie – Daddy’s Home 2 is so silly and we watch it annually, Song – Maybe this Christmas by Michael Buble & Carly Pearce – this year, the beginning of this song just made sense.
J – We definitely enjoy ELF as a family, I love to watch Love Actually & The Holiday while wrapping presents.
Tradition or activity you look forward to each year?
C – Many and one I have been thinking about a little more this year is this: for over 25 years, my mother-in-law has kept a sweet tradition alive—baking and making an incredible assortment of about 53 different types (only exaggerating a bit) of cookies and treats! She brings out container after container, ensuring there’s something for everyone. By the end of the day, we all leave with our favorites, making her delicious creations a cherished part of our holiday celebrations. 🍪🎄❤️
J – Decorating cookies with my mom, kids, and sister is a tradition I look forward to every year.. We sometimes cheat and get the premade sugar cookies from Gordon’s and spend more time decorating instead of baking.
Do you do annual ornaments for your kids?
C – We do! We purchased some, made some and during elementary school years we have been given some special ornaments. Both kids have their own container of ornaments and they are getting quite the collection!
J – We do an annual photo ornament with the photo we used for our Christmas card, it is fun to see the changes year after year.
A little Impression 5 GLAM-FUN!
And there you have it—q&A about us with a sprinkle of wit, a dash of wisdom, and a whole lot of holiday cheer! Whether you’re here for the tips, the laughs, or just to see what festive shenanigans we’re up to next – speaking of – only a couple more days to get in on the Elf Scavenger Hunt!
We are so glad you’re along for our adventures. Now, go forth and conquer your holiday to-do lists… or at least make it look like you tried while sipping hot cocoa or whatever is in your gigantic winter mug. 🎄✨
Cheers to a season filled with joy, laughter, and just the right amount of going crazy! 🚗✨
Julie and Christine
Did you enjoy our Holiday Meet a Mom? Interested in joining us as a GLAMoms Meet a Mom? Click here for more information!
Meet a Mom Sponsor information
Today’s Meet a Mom featuring Julie Pingston was brought to you by Boji Group. Boji Group specializes in Private-Public Partnerships, has offices in both Lansing and Birmingham and is headquartered in downtown Lansing.
Are you interested or know of someone who would make a great GLAMoms Meet a Mom?
Send a message to [email protected] and we will take it from there!
